


Glass Shards

by swordofsunrise



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Hyuuga Hinata-centric, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23596849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swordofsunrise/pseuds/swordofsunrise
Summary: "Perhaps she was glass but glass is only brittle until it breaks. Then it's sharp." Hyuga Hinata died a hero in The Fourth Shinobi World War, saving the men she loved most. Heart heavy with should have beens, she is given a second chance.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 78
Collections: Time Travel AUs





	1. Hinata

**Author's Note:**

> Glass Shards by swordofsunrise aka swordofsunrise on FFN

_Prologue_

Black filled the edges of her vision and though it had hurt, now all she felt was numbness and the chill of death. Blood smeared her lips and her clothes. Naruto had his arms around her, his grip strong, forged of iron. He found it hard to give-up, even against something as natural as the end of a life. Her body would stop responding to commands soon. Hinata took his face in her hands and smiled. This was their last moment together. He shouldn't think of her as a corpse. Not yet. "Listen to me, Naruto-kun." For once, her voice did not tremble. Hinata ought to be strong now for all the times she hadn't been. "Madara can't win. He won't win as long as you live. Fight for yourself. Fight for your dream. Fight and win for Konoha." She fought back tears and turned to face her cousin.

"I failed you, Hinata-sama."

When she placed herself in front of Naruto, Neji had been quick.

But Hinata had been quicker. The time they spent training together had seen to that.

She reached out for his hand and squeezed, shaking her head negatively. She gave him a weak smile. "I think it's the reverse." she paused. "Your father gave his life for my father's, Neji-nii-san. I couldn't let you do the same. Tell tou-sama I'm sorry I wasn't the heiress he wanted and tell him my last wish is for the main branch to lower your curse. I want it gone, destroyed." Hinata coughed, struggling to keep going. "Tell Hanabi-chan I..."

Neji's eyes widened as he bowed in deep gratitude. "Thank you, Hinata-sama." he nodded solemnly and squeezed her hand back. "I know, I will tell her."

"That's good." she whispered as she wiped a tear from Naruto's left cheek.

Hyuga Hinata closed her eyes to the world. _I wish I had done more. I wish I was what you two had needed me to be._

* * *

_"She wasn't fine, not even close. But she wasn't dead. And that was a start." - Sarah J. Maas_

She doesn't expect to wake-up but she does and it's to a world she struggles to claim as her own. She is in Konoha, bright, sunny Konoha but it's not her Konoha.

It hasn't been in years.

 _A ghost,_ she muses as she looks at the Hokage Monument. Only four leaders stare back at her. Three she hadn't met and one she had barely served under. It occurs to Hinata that she shouldn't be alive but somehow is. _Genjutsu?_ The Byakugan is a strong defense against those. She shakes her head and wonders whether Kami decided to punish her. Time travel should have been used on more capable people. Why her?

She stands and slowly starts walking. Hinata knows she is younger, she just doesn't know how much. Judging by what she is wearing and the length of her hair _so short_ , she hasn't graduated. Years before the genin exams have yet to pass. She flexes her fingers, feels her chakra network, and huffs quietly in disappointment. _Weak. Frail._ Her past self is worthy of pity and Hinata has no one to blame but herself. Recognising her own shortcomings has been long overdue, however. _I must rise above them._ She sees no other alternative, no other option. People get stronger for all sorts of reasons. Hinata's though?

Hinata's reasons have names and she won't fail them this time.

But people don't change overnight and a sudden shift in her behaviour won't only come as a surprise, it will, without doubt, also raise some eyebrows.

Her tou-sama's most of all.

And shinobi are nothing if not cautious. So, there is that. Hinata taps her chin, thinks things through for a few minutes before she decides that there is little the Byakugan doesn't see and even if she manages to fool her father, she has no such delusions regarding Neji. Until she figures something out, standing silent and out of sight is the wisest course of action.

She has never been particularly tall but being reduced to her Academy sized proportions will take some time getting used to. Hinata drinks in the sight of her village, the one she had lost when Pain cast Shinra Tensei and vows not to let it happen again. _How old am I?_ The question doesn't seem to give her mind peace so, she stops and asks a civilian, never mind the absurdity of asking a stranger the date.

_22th May, year 678._

It takes her few minutes but when it finally clicks, Hinata stumbles a step backwards and quickly mumbles thanks, too informal for what's expected of her but she can't bring herself to care. She is eight again and The Uchiha Massacre is today.

_Today._

All thoughts of going home get pushed aside and Hinata doesn't think. She just runs. She only remembers bits of several conversations her clan members had in hushed tones about the massacre. Those memories echo faintly at the back of her mind. What she can recall vividly is Naruto, cheerful, optimistic twelve-year-old Naruto confined to a hospital bed, so deeply starved for affection that he couldn't let go of his best friend even after said best friend nearly ended his life. She remembers waiting for Neji to come out of surgery and praying, that despite his faults, Tsunade-sama is successful.

Hinata can't stop Itachi, will probably never be strong enough to fight someone of his calibre and live but she can reach out to Sasuke in a way the Konoha 11 had been too young and naive to do it the first time around. She can't stop the damage but perhaps she can soften the blow. Otherwise why would she get sent back in time right before the massacre?

By the time she arrives, the sky has already darkened. Her lack of stamina ensured she won't be able to run for long. She walks past the gates of the compound, terrified and out of breath. Her stomach clenches with dread when she notices the blood. It's everywhere. On the walls, on the ground. She ignores the bodies scattered around. _Sasuke. I have to reach Sasuke._

She finds him in the clanhead's house, his house and just when Hinata thought the sights greeting her couldn't get any worse, they do. There is Itachi with Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, lifeless at his feet. Her arrival doesn't get noticed by Sasuke, not until his brother fires a kunai. Years of training kick in and she springs ahead. Her height and poor speed prevent her from dodging but Hinata pushes Sasuke out of the way, the kunai grazes her shoulder and she decides it's a small victory. Empty and hollow but still a victory.

She activates her Byakugan though little good does. Hinata picks up the kunai and grasps Sasuke's arm with her other hand. He doesn't move his eyes away from Itachi. "Let's go..." she demands, pulling at his sleeve.

"Hyuga-san, step aside." Under different circumstances, Itachi would have sounded polite. But his tone is flat and firm enough that it doesn't get mistaken as a suggestion. It's a warning. The _or else_ needn't be voiced.

Hinata doesn't understand. He just destroyed generations of his flesh and blood. What else could Itachi want? How does he plan tofurther traumatize Sasuke? Anger burns hot in her veins and she grips the bloodied kunai. "No."

In this moment, she hates the shinobi system. She hates it for turning brother against brother, family against family, the village against an orphan. She hates it for Sasuke, for Neji, for Naruto.

_For all the children whose innocence died before their age reached a second digit._

Whatever Itachi Uchiha had expected, it most certainly wasn't a refusal. Hinata's voice trembles but she speaks all the same. "Leave us alone."

He can't risk killing her, that much she knows. The Hyuga would raise hell if he did and not even a S-rank shinobi would willingly pit a clan of doujutsu wielders against him. Unlike the Uchiha who had their guard down _because really, who expected him to betray them?,_ the Hyuga would be ready. Itachi isn't the kind to repeat himself and it shows when he advances towards them. Hinata holds her ground, standing in front of Sasuke.

"How can you be so cruel?" she whispers, mostly to herself but he is close enough to hear her.

His eyes narrow as he reaches out for her neck and slams her against the wall. Hinata can scarcely breathe but she still tries to stab him. She glances at Sasuke. _Run._ She would have screamed if she could.

"Sasuke, unless you get strong enough to kill me, people will suffer. Starting with Hyuga-san."

This combined with everything that happened before seems to strengthen the boy's resolve. He runs at Itachi, crying, and screaming. Hinata's heart breaks a little at the sight.

In one swift move, Itachi pushes Sasuke to the ground while maintaining his grip on her. "Now you are still weak. I will deal with you later."

His gaze moves back to her. The Sharingan starts spinning in a pattern that she had come to recognize as the Mangekyou.

And nothing she lived has ever been as terrifying.

.

.

A dark cloud looms over Konoha once more. Hinata recovers much sooner than Sasuke does and finds herself subjected to a gentle interrogation. The things she experienced come as a blessing in disguise. The once weak and fragile heiress died that night with the Uchiha. Nobody will suspect her of being a spy or smack any other label onto her forehead that doesn't begin with _traumatized._

The jutsu that got used on her is titled _Tsukyomi. S-rank._ In cases like these, death is said to be kinder. Full-fledged shinobi have gone insane for less.

She is discharged from the hospital and sent home afterwards. Hinata walks inside the compound to find the Hyuga clanhead, her father, waiting. She falls into a respectful bow, nothing like the clumsy version he was so used to. Her eyes widen when Hiashi steps forward and grips her shoulder. It's the closest thing to a hug she and Hanabi ever got from him. They don't speak of the incident. They barely address each other at all. Her tou-sama is a man of few words and even fewer facial expressions. And Hinata has always been a quiet child.

She feels eyes on her wherever she goes. People that smiled at Hinata watch her cautiously now. Even Ko, her guard, acts different from what she is accustomed to. _They are waiting for me to snap,_ she realizes. _Or better yet, they are wondering how come I haven't already._

Now she understands Naruto's desire to bring back his best friend. Sasuke is a victim of circumstance and nobody should have to go through what he did. Hinata is still trying to wrap her mind around everything that happened but fails. None of it makes sense to her.

A few days later, Itachi Uchiha is officially classified as a missing-nin.  
News of his betrayal have spread like wildfire all over the Elemental Nations. It isn't far-fetched for another hidden village to wage war on them now that they are left in such a vulnerable position. Their economy suffers because they lost fifty active shinobi and everyone knows how an Uchiha is worth at least three other ninjas.

Hinata demands to attend the funeral. She no longer stutters when she speaks. Instead, her voice is clear and firm enough to shock people into a strange, obedient silence. They are quick to fulfil her wishes and privately wonder where did their meek heiress disappear off to. Bearing a striking resemblance to her mother in everything from looks to personality, the clan members had agreed that there was almost nothing of Hiashi in her.

Oh, how wrong they had been! Hinata has her father's eyes now. Cold and calculating. Secretly, they miss the warmth they used to hold whenever she greeted them. It's fruitless to hope she would ever gain it back. The shinobi world takes. It takes your innocence, it transforms your childhood, it takes away the light you once so powerfully radiated. It makes a stranger out of the person you see when you look in the mirror. You either accept all these changes and shape yourself into a weapon or die.

There is no middle ground as far as a child born in the shinobi system is concerned.

Hinata dons a black kimono with a proper obi and black sandals. She stands behind Hiashi at the front of the row with Hanabi and Ko not too far behind them. She hears the Hokage hold a speech and for the first time in years, she finds herself judging the older man. Couldn't he have done something to prevent this? Had he been as oblivious to Itachi's intentions as the rest of them?

When he finishes talking, Sasuke is ushered at the front of the assembly to address them. Survivor's guilt eats at him and it shows. He clears his throat, capturing everyone's attention. He doesn't say more than a few words, however and Hinata doesn't know why people would expect more from a grieving child. "Farewell, tou-sama, kaa-san, Iona-san, Arai-san..." the list of names blend and smudge together as Sasuke walks and bows in front of each coffin respectfully. He says them from memory, having waved a hand in dismissal when they tried to give him several ink-drowned papers. He lingers in front of his parents; suddenly aware this is the last time he sees them. He takes two white roses and lowers them down. His eyes are downcast as he bows his head. "You burned bright for Konohagakure and now your flame has flickered away."

Everyone present repeats the words in a chorus, their heads mirroring his. Hinata grips her kimono as she says them: "And now your flame has flickered away."

As people take their leave, she remains rooted on the spot to the point Hanabi feels obliged to nudge her arm. Her sister is too little to fully grasp the meaning of death. Part of Hinata wishes that she never will. The other part is wise enough to know better. She turns to her father. "Tou-sama, can I stay behind?"

Hiashi voices his approval. "You can, but not for long." then he beckons Hanabi to follow him and orders Ko to stay with her.

The man bows stiffly and takes his place beside Hinata. She dismisses him as soon as her father is out of sight. "Don't come with me."

His jaw drops as he begins to protest. "But Hinata-sama...!"

"I won't leave the Byakugan's range." she cuts him off in a reasonable tone.  
Ko has no choice but to resign himself and activate his doujutsu.

 _Confidence gets you far._ she muses, feeling oddly pleased.

Hinata uses her Byakugan to search for the Uchiha heir and discovers he isn't far away, just out of normal peripheral vision. She finds him sitting under the shade of a tree with his back pressed against it. When he sees her, he blinks back tears. Hinata knows what he is thinking. _Shinobi don't cry. Boys, least of all._ Frankly, she believes such mindset is utterly ridiculous. They are only human and they have the right to cry. Sasuke regards her silently for a few moments. "He didn't kill you."

Hinata wrings her hands. "No, he didn't." she echoes under her breath and wonders how much he remembers of that night.

"He hurt you, though. The genjutsu..."

She stands a little straighter as her eyes harden. "You too...?"

Sasuke falls silent. It's the only confirmation she needs. Wordlessly, he scoots over to make room for her under the shade. Hinata sits on the grass and brings her knees close to her chest, tucking them under her chin. She doesn't know for how long they stay like that, watching the wind sweep away the leaves but she doesn't mind the silence and is surprised when Sasuke breaks it.

"What did he make you see?"

She stares down at the ground. All of it felt real enough to give her nightmares. "Death. I saw the people I love die." _Over and over again._ Something occurred to Hinata then and her eyes widened. Itachi has had access to her memories. Otherwise what she saw couldn't be explained. The Tsukuyomi is a mental induced torture and he chose to show her Naruto and Neji dying.

Their older versions.

 _Kuso._ She barely refrains from cursing the man out loud. Kami knows just how much Itachi had seen. The future is pretty much doomed now. _Whoever sent me here wasted a time travel jutsu on a foolish little girl._

Sasuke's voice interrupts her self-loathing. "I watched him kill everyone. Repeatedly. At least you can look back on your experience and consider it a nightmare." his voice breaks a little. "I can't do that." he looks into the distance at the graves of his fallen clan.

Hinata pulls out her handkerchief. Sasuke glares, seemingly insulted that she thinks him weak enough to cry. She insists, however. "Take it." she thrusts her hand out. "I won't tell if you don't." She can feel herself begin to cry as well.

That's how they spend the rest of the afternoon. Huddled together beneath a large oak tree, crying until they have no more tears left to shed. Such instances build bonds and now it's no different. Hinata feels weirdly close to Sasuke after having cried alongside him. In a way, they are both mourning. She can already picture the future, a future much more horrible than the one she came from. Before, they had a chance to win the war. Naruto would have done the impossible once more and saved the world. But now...

_Even tomorrow is uncertain._

Sasuke takes her clenched fist, he pries apart her fingers and leaves the handkerchief there. She doesn't forget his next words: "That man won't hurt anyone ever again. I promise."

And Hinata believes him, the way she had once believed in Naruto and his ninja way. She believes in them and makes a vow of her own. _It doesn't matter what Itachi saw. I will save the future, even if it kills me for a second time._

She grips her handkerchief and hands it back. "Keep it, so you never forget the promise you made Konoha." _I won't let you go rogue this time._

Sasuke nods, determined and Hinata thinks that as long as his and Naruto's flames don't flicker away or darken, there is hope.


	2. Kakashi

_"Act out being alive, like a play. And after a while, a long while, it will be true."_

* * *

Kakashi Hatake is a broken man. If it weren't for the deep sense of duty buried inside him, he would have ended his life long ago. Kakashi Hatake is also soldier and fighting somebody's else wars is the only certainty he has ever known. Everything else is fickle and fragile and _temporary._ He isn't sure of anything, hasn't believed in anything other than the sound of his Chidori and the way his hand flexes, bringing death to every foe unfortunate enough to cross his path.

He evades people like he evades blows and kicks and punches. Unlike those, however, people further try to reach him as if he isn't cursed, as if they aren't afraid of the darkness that has been his companion since day one. Gai's exuberance is annoying and his wide, trusting smile is annoying too. Kurenai's know-it-all attitude iriks him. Her unwillingness to leave him out of social outings does as well. Asuma' smoking is a whole other kind of bothersome. And so is the understanding look he always gives. Anko is the worst of them because of the way she picks on him on a regular basis but also because of how she'd torture anyone who dares to try it.

Kakashi feels as though he lost Obito all over again because it's his empty home that he now steps foot in, it's his kin they had just buried seven feet underground, never to be seen or heard again. If his teammate hadn't died crushed under the ceiling of that cave, Itachi would have killed him a few years later. Obito would still be dead and Kakashi would be still holding himself responsible.

_An entire clan. Wiped out not by an outsider but by our own shinobi._

His visible eye hardens. Why did he ignore the signs? Itachi had been part of his ANBU division. He, better than most, should have looked underneath the underneath, find out what he was planning and... Even as he thinks this, Kakashi knows 'I should haves' aren't of any use. He stares at the walls of the fallen compound. Traces of blood are scattered all over like war paint, except it wasn't war that happened. In war, you are prepared. It's one side versus another, both of them have a fighting chance.

 _What chance did the Uchiha elders and infants have?_ Kakashi punches one of the walls. The Senju long gone, the Uchiha now have joined them and Konoha's history only gets bloodier. _The Shodaime and Madara Uchiha must be rolling in their graves now._ Their flesh and blood, gone with the wind.

_Almost._

He thinks of the legend that is Tsunade-sama and of little Sasuke, memoirs of great legacies. _But how much is your life worth when everything you love has left you?_

Kakashi can't answer cause he knows how little his own breathing counts at the end of the day and how he'd give it up for his father and team in a heartbeat. He pulls out a bandage for his wounded knuckles, wraps it around them and sighs.

 _I'm late._ he realizes. _Late enough to get going._

When he arrives, the Meeting Hall is filled with arguing. Dignified clanheads have been reduced to...children. _I usually don't miss this much when I'm late._ The sight baffles him. Everyone is talking, everyone sans the Hokage who looks as if he had just lost the will to live. "Yo." he raises a hand in greeting and the reactions that follow could have been labelled as funny, if not for the grim reason they had all gathered for. He plops into his seat and snaps open his book. The meeting takes back its course.

Shikaku Nara pinches his eyebrows. Dealing with his generation could be such a drag at times. His nine-year-old son is easier to reason with. "The boy's psyche is damaged, possibly for life. Our main concern shouldn't be who gets to benefit from him. Rather who can _he_ , benefit from."

Hiashi Hyuga clasps his hands behind his back, eyes betraying no emotion. "I agree which is why my daughter could help him better than all of us combined. I might not have a vast knowledge on the subject but I believe survivors find solace in one another. Isn't that correct, Yamanaka-san?"

The man in question can only nod. It is true.

Surprisingly, Shibi Aburame pushes his glasses up his nose and joins the fray. When quiet people speak-up, the world tends to listen. "Both children are traumatized but what Sasuke needs and what Hinata does are vastly different things. There is a middle ground, of course and I can see them becoming close during their Academy years. However, the Hyuga abide by certain rules. They have a certain way of living. Sasuke, an Uchiha, would never surrender his identity. All the social conditioning in the world won't turn him into what you envision hosting, Hiashi-san. If Sasuke were an infant or up to four years of age, I could see it but alas he is nine and most of us at the age of nine were attached to everything our name, our clan meant."

Hiashi keeps going, unfazed however. "I rest my case, Hokage-sama. Nobody knows what Sasuke has gone through but Hinata."

Tsume Inuzuka slams her fist on the table and says her part with such conviction that no one can fault her for it. There is something to be said about the strength of their kunoichi. "What the little pup needs is affection, not your political schemes. The Inuzuka are a pack. In the Warring States Era, before we came togheter, there were tribes. Loyalty bound us then and The Inuzuka haven't forgotten that it takes more than genes to make a family. Itachi Uchiha killed his own kin. Sharing blood with them had mattered little at the end of the day. Sasuke needs a pack, Hokage-sama. A nuke-nin never bites the hand that feeds him."

"Until he is starving." Chouza retailaited, arms crossed over his chest.

"Pot meet kettle. As if the Akimichi wouldn't do anything in order to eat."

"Tsume." Inoichi reprimands her sharply.

"Relax blondie. The atmosphere needed a little something least we'd choke on this stupid tension." she pauses. "I stand firm in my beliefs, however. The last shinobi war hasn't killed us but Sasuke's descent into the darkness might. Remember Madara Uchiha?"

Chouza yawns. "Dead and buried. That one?"

"Yes, that one. He only got defeated because of Hashirama Senju and the Senju are long gone."

"You are forgetting Tsunade-sama."

The sparkle of mischief that her eyes held is gone now. "The hime lost everything because of this damned village. If you think she'd ever return to risk the one thing she has left..."

Shikaku Nara leans his chin into the palm of his hand as he listens to everyone voice their opinion. _Well, almost everyone._ he muses as he watches the silent shinobi read at the back. _He might as well blend in with the shadows._ It's rare for someone to do so better than his clan members but praise is given where praise is due and Kakashi has stealth mastered down to an art.

A white bulb suddenly goes off in his head. The Hokage's original plan was to leave Sasuke by himself, just like so many orphans before him had been. It was only when had Hiashi suggested an alternative that the others reacted. The man is only half-right, though. Sasuke needs a parental figure. _Just not a Hyuga._

"Hokage-sama, may I suggest someone?"

"Who do you have in mind, Shikaku?"

"Kakashi Hatake."

"We thought of the same candidate." the Hokage replies, oddly pleased.

You could hear a pine drop in the silence that followed their idea.

Inoichi's eyes widen as he grasps the sleeve of his flat jacket and whispers. "Shikaku, you are not seriously considering...the man is..."

He turns to face his long-time friend. "Insane? Mad with grief of his own? You forget why Kakashi behaves the way he does. He feels guilty and responsible for every single thing that has happened to those closest to him. How many cases have you seen of two damaged people where one keeps the other in check? Hatake will leave aside his own issues and work on them so, Sasuke won't end up like him."

The Yamanaka clanhead shakes his head."I have also seen the reverse happen. Tsume would be the better choice."

"She might grow to love him as a son but the others won't. Tsume is an exception in a sea of reckless and impulsive Inuzukas. She speaks highly of her clan but if push came to shove, those people would save their clan children instead of Sasuke. It's nothing to condemn but that's not what he needs. Kakashi will have only Sasuke to worry about unlike us. You have Ino, I have Shikamaru. Each one of us has their own offspring to look after."

Inoichi has nothing to say to that. Shikaku's logic would undoubtedly beat everything he could possibly come up with. "I suggest we vote, Hokage-sama."

The Professor puffs slowly into his pipe, most likely relieved this headache of a meeting has reached its end. "Very well. Shibi?"

"I choose Kakashi-san."

"Tsume?"

"Myself." she grins widely, showing off her teeth. "Kidding, Hatake has my vote."

"Chouza?"

"Since Shikaku believes in him, then so do I. My vote goes to Kakashi."

"You already know my choice, Hokage-sama." the Nara tactician drawls lazily.

"Inoichi?"

"The Ino-Shika-Cho support Kakashi Hatake."

"Homura?"

"I vote for Hiashi-sama. The boy needs a clan. He needs to be around people."

"Koharu?"

"My vote goes to Hiashi-sama. Sasuke could learn a great deal from him. The Hyuga clan is organized and disciplined."

"Danzo?"

"Hyuga-sama. We need men like Kakashi Hatake inside the ANBU, not outside of it."

Sarutobi lowers his pipe and glares. "I believe Kakashi has served me well all these years which is why I trust him with Sasuke."

Danzo's features don't shift the slightest bit. "Alright. Have it your way, old friend."

The Copy Ninja chooses this moment to look up and adress the assembly. "Don't I and Hiashi-sama get the right to vote? It'd be a tie because I'd vote for him and he'd vote for himself too."

Tsume nearly bursts out laughing. "I like the kid. Change of plans. Can't I adopt both Sasuke and Hatake?"

Kakashi waves a hand in dismissal. "On a second thought, let's go with that. I apologize, Hyuga-sama. Tsume-san is a lovely woman."

"And widowed, you brat." she laughs nevertheless because she hasn't had this much fun in a while.

Joking aside, Kakashi can't grasp what is happening. His mind is reeling, swarmed with multiple reasons as to why putting him in charge is a bad idea. A child is too much of a responsibility. Everything he does, he must do alone. That way, no one will die because of him. _Not again._ He looks around the room and knows they wouldn't have chosen him if they had another option. _A better option._

His silence prompts people to speak.

"If you ever need help Kakashi, don't hesitate to ask. I know a thing or two about raising a kid." Shikaku says in the most casual voice ever, as though they are debating weather and not a small human being. The man's calmness is contagious and though his exterior is aloof and void of emotion, Kami knows his interior is anything but that. He is grateful for the Nara's grounding presence.

A rough around the edges, manicured hand grasps his shoulder next. There is something meant to comfort him in that gesture. "You are not alone, Hatake. If a mission ever takes you far from home, the little pup will be well taken care of." Tsume reassures him.

Kakashi thanks them with a solemn bow at the waist.

_I'm not father material, goddammit._


	3. Sasuke

_''Family isn't always blood. It's the people who love you, the people who have your back.'' - Cassandra Clare_

* * *

Sasuke doesn't like being coddled. Not anymore. Look what that got him. A dead clan. The people he loved most, _gone._ His role model, his older brother... _guilty._ He doesn't understand. Probably never will. Enemy-nin, he would have.

But _Itachi?_

The pride and joy of the Uchiha, the prodigious son, the heir... _.his nii-san._ Sasuke would have followed Itachi to the ends of the earth, he would have killed and died for him...

_Che._

A humorless chuckle goes past his lips. His shoulders shake and before he knows it, tears are falling down his cheeks. _To think I looked up to...to this monster._

Stupid. Naive. A fool. That's what he was, but enough is enough. Sasuke hates being coddled. He knows that people around him have good intentions. After what he had gone through, however....

He feels so much older than nine. The way he is watched day and night, 24/7, is annoying. The baby talk even more so. The pity in their eyes makes him want to scream. Uchiha don't need pity.

_He doesn't._

Unless they can bring his family back, Sasuke wants to be left alone. With or without company, that's all he is ever going to be anyways. He doesn't think it's fair, either. Konoha has many orphans. Why aren't they cared for? Why don't people make a beeline to comfort them?

 _Hypocrites_ _._

Fists clenched, he tries to count the number of times he had bitten his tongue and refrained from saying several rude but no less true remarks. He can't. There are too many.

His kaa-san may be gone, but Sasuke hasn't forgotten what she taught him.

_Be polite. Always. Even when it's hard._

She also taught him to speak his mind but he doesn't think he can do it without being _mean._ Not now, at least. His heart is still bleeding. One moment, he is suffering so deeply that dying from sadness doesn't seem impossible. The next, his blood boils and there is so much anger that he can't recognize himself.

_No. I can't become like him._

_I can't._

Except, Itachi had been calm. As if he didn't just murder a hundred of people, women and children... _the people that gave birth to him._ For a moment, a flash of his tear-eyed brother invades his mind. It takes all of Sasuke's willpower to push it back and not believe there is a shred of humanity left inside him.

That killing everyone broke Itachi, too.

 _He didn't cry._ _It was just my imagination._

Sasuke repeats that to himself. Over and over again. He wipes at his eyes, lifts up his chin and glances at the silver-haired ninja across from him, expecting to see the same pitying eyes staring back at him.

He doesn't.

The jonin seems keen on ignoring him, too focused on his little orange book. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Those are the only times they exchange words. Few and to the point. Mostly about what he feels like eating.

He doesn't feel like living anymore but he doesn't tell him that. He is smart enough to know such an answer would get him back to the hospital faster than The Yellow Flash.

Sasuke hates being coddled. Maybe that's why he likes Kakashi.

Sort of.

He still wants to be left alone but something tells him that he either puts up with his adoptive father or with the rest of the world who, frankly, is too much. Suddenly, the door bell rings and before Sasuke can even think about going to open it...not that he would have, this is Kakashi's home...the jonin is already on his feet, kunai in hand.

He almost opens his mouth to tell him that Itachi wouldn't come back. That he will be waiting until Sasuke himself seeks him out.

Almost.

The girly, familiar voice on the other side of the door, stops him. Dark eyes widen in disbelief.

_Hinata?_

Instinctively, he reaches inside the pocket of his pants, fingers closing around the silky handkerchief. He hasn't used it since the day of the funeral after washing it and storing it away.

Couldn't.

The light material is proof of his promise to her. He intends to keep it clean.

"It seems like you have a visitor." Kakashi lets him know, his tone annoyingly cheerful as he walks back to the living room, Hinata not too far behind him.

The sight of her soothes and hurts him at the same time. He isn't the only one to have experienced the horror that is Itachi's genjutsu. On that front, she understands. Sympathy gives way to envy once he remembers how it's _his_ clan that's buried underground, never to be seen or heard again, not _hers._

"I will leave you two to discuss, then." Kakashi smiles and waves their way, prompting Sasuke to glare at him until he and his idiotic book are out of sight.

Hinata has a warmth to her that even the hard, pupilless Hyuga eyes can't eclipse and when she speaks, guilt instantly claws at his chest for even thinking what he had earlier.

"How have are you, Sasuke-san?" she asks.

"Fine." comes his clipped response.

 _Liar._ a voice at the back of his mind reprimands.

The look Hinata gives him makes the hair at the back of his neck stand out. Which says _something._ It's as though she _knows_ that he isn't fine, will probably never be fine. How can he, after what happened? It'd be a major insult to the Uchiha to simply move on with his life.

Not that he thinks himself capable of doing that, anyhow.

"Are you and Hatake-san getting along?" she changes the topic. The fact that she doesn't push for the truth highlights that she already knows and asking was merely a courtesy.

Sasuke scoffs and beckons his classmate to sit down at the kitchen table. He had seen his kaa-san welcome guests inside their home often enough to know what must be done. "We ignore each other most of the time. Does that count?"

Hinata stifles a small laugh with the back of her hand. "I suppose it's a better alternative than arguing all day." she replies, seeming thoroughly amused before catching herself. "A-ano, I'm sorry for laughing, Sasuke-san."

He doesn't appreciate being anyone's laughing stock, but the Hyuuga is a girl and considering she got hurt because of his own brother...the least he can do is let her be. "Hn, I was wondering when the stutter would return." he teases.

Hinata being the sole doujutsu wielder of his generation made her the only one he had to watch out for. The other kids at the Academy have been long deemed as inferior. Nara would be quite the opponent, what with that genius of his...but he'd rather sleep the rest of his days off than fight. Truth be told, there is a part of him that wishes he was born to a clan of lazy people who couldn't be bothered to get off their ass and commit massive murder.

What strikes Sasuke as odd is that...he used to think of Hinata, his competition, as inferior, too.

_When has she changed so much?_

Come to think of it, after labeling the Hyuuga heiress as weak, he hadn't paid much attention to her. Maybe the years have hardened her.

 _If not time, then the torture Itachi had subjected her to, surely has._ Hinata stands across from him with all the seriousness of her father. A man Sasuke had met only once, but whom he has no desire to see again.

"A slip-up. I assure you, it won't happen again, Sasuke-san."

_Did I upset her?_

He frowns. "Tch, just Sasuke is fine. You don't have to be so formal."

"And you needn't be so cold." she retorts. The bite in her voice stuns him. "We cried together at the funeral or have you forgotten that I have already seen you at your lowest?"

His jaw clenches, the reminder both comforting and humiliating. He understands what Hinata is saying. _You aren't alone._

But he is. They aren't alike. Her family isn't the one that's currently rotting.

"A slip-up. It won't happen again." he mirrors her comeback, watches her sigh and lean back against the chair.

Silence stretches long but, not uncomfortable; not exactly. They have trauma in common and they are both quiet children.

"If it ever does..." she begins after a moment of consideration, voice soft and lavender-tinted eyes even softer.

Sasuke doesn't have it in himself to brush her off this time.

"I know." he says instead, not unkindly. A pause. He jumps as though struck by lightning and rushes to the stove. _Manners. I can't lose them and disappoint kaa-san._

Hinata springs to her feet, instantly reaching his side. "Is there someth-

"What kind of tea do you like?" he cuts her off. _Rude again._

She blinks up at him as though he has grown two heads or something equally stupid. "Jasmine tea." she manages to squeak out a few seconds later.

Sasuke pulls out a chair, drags it near the cupboards and climbs on top of it. _Where does Kakashi keep his tea?_ He frowns at the unfamiliarity of this kitchen, wishes he were back home, helping his kaa-san, training with tou-sama and getting a piggyback ride from...

_No._

He jerks his head, momentarily losing his balance. Though he regains it, the chair sways and...

Even if Hinata's grip over his legs is a firm one, he fears falling and taking her down with him. "Let go." he grits out.

"So you can fall?" she glares.

Sasuke isn't used to being on the receiving end of such a look, unless one counted the dobe. And from a _girl_ at that?

"So, _you_ wouldn't." he argues, glaring right back. "Be reasonable and let go, Hinata. I will be fine."

 _Even if I fall, I have been through worse things._ It's what he leaves unsaid.

She considers him for a moment before releasing his ankles and backpedaling.

Sasuke doesn't lose his balance again. He finds the right tea and climbs down, a smirk curling at his lips. "Told you."

Hinata rolls her eyes but he still catches the smile she tries hiding. "Hai, hai."

The ghosts surrounding him are quiet for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

Kakashi's dogs are less annoying than the man himself is. Sasuke prefers cats, but after living with eight ninken for a few weeks now, he can't say he dislikes them.

They have distinct personalities, different strengths and weaknesses, much like humans do. Pakkun is the fastest and the most laid back of the group. How that is, the young Uchiha has no idea. They all crave affection, but he does it the most and after feeding them, Kakashi never fails to provide it.

He doesn't play favorites so, neither does Sasuke. Guruko spends most of his time trying to make him smile, he is awfully persistent and stubborn about it, too. He nearly takes pity on him once and fakes one only to be given a stern look.

"Don't you dare."

Sasuke never tries that again. Guruko keeps it up. His stunts get crazier the longer time passes to the point he is left wondering if Kakashi had his hair turn grey because of the ninken. Bull is the mother hen of the group. He tells Guruko and the others to leave him alone. It's as though the dog can sense when he needs time to himself and for that, Sasuke is grateful.

Urushi is the fiercest of them all. He feels a weird connection to him. Urushi too, has haunted eyes. Angry-looking. He doesn't spend much time around the others, preferring solitude. So, it comes as a complete surprise when the dark-haired boy wakes up one sunny morning to see him sleeping at the edge of his bed. Sasuke finds that he doesn't mind. It's this gesture and others that convince him Urushi is a kindred spirit.

Shiba is the most literate of the group. He firmly believes the grey ninken is the only reason Kakashi has something other than little orange books around the house. Whenever he can't sleep, Shiba comes to him while carrying a book between his teeth and starts reading. It had helped him more than he can put into words.

Akino has hundreds of stories to tell anyone who is willing to listen. He is the leader and gives useful advice. Sasuke talks to him more than he does to any other.

Uhei has the gentlest heart. He joins Urushi in guarding him while he sleeps. When nightmares wake him, which is too often, Uhei climbs into bed and tries comforting him to the best of his ability.

Bisuke reminds Sasuke of Naruto. He is loud, can't hold still, has a thing for pranks and has picked him as a target. The ninken is sneakier and more cunning than he thought animals could be. Bisuke is the one pushing him to eat when he doesn't feel like doing it. Sasuke only gives in because the dog is so annoying that it grates on his nerves.

All of them take a liking to Hinata and unsurprisingly...she takes a liking to them in return.

"When is the little hime coming to visit us again?" Shiba breaks the silence.

"Yeah, I miss Hina-chan." Pakkun laments.

"Her cooking is as good as Kakashi-kun's."

Sasuke rolls his eyes at the latter. "You like anyone who feeds you, Bisuke."

The little bastard has the nerve to stick out his tongue. "Not you."

"Feeling's mutual." the dark-haired boy retorts, unimpressed.

The sound of footsteps approaching lets Sasuke know Kakashi has finally put his book down. _For an active shinobi, he sure is lazy._

Then his eyes widen when something occurs to him. Could it be that... _he_ is the reason why the jonin hasn't gone on missions in the past month? He hears the door to the bathroom shut and uses the opportunity to milk the ninken for information. "Akino." he calls out to him.

The dog instantly perks up. "Yes, Sasuke?"

He goes straight to the point, knows Akino wouldn't lie to him. "Am I the reason why Kakashi no longer goes on missions?"

"In part." comes his answer. "If Hokage-sama doesn't need him to, then he doesn't go." he answers simply.

Something feels off about that sentence. Sasuke supports his chin on his hands, elbows pressing into the carpet. "How could he not need him? You told me enough stories to conclude Kakashi is irreplaceable in Konoha's ranks."

Akino gives him an indulgent smile. "You are too smart for your age, did you know that?" a sigh escapes him. "You and Kakashi are more similar than you think."

Sasuke doesn't know what to make of the statement, has little information to go by so, he presses. "Well?"

All of a sudden, a shiver runs down his spine. _Shit._ Kakashi is behind him. When had he even sneaked upon him? The young Uchiha slowly turns to face his guardian.

"Talking behind my back isn't very nice."

He has the decency to look guilty which seems to placate the jonin.

"Sorry."

Kakashi ruffles his hair, giving Sasuke a closed-eye smile that makes him feel... _warm._ The affectionate gesture shocks him."I'm sure you are. Forgiven and forgotten if you promise to ask me next time you want to know something."

He swats his hand away. "Hn..." he pretends to consider it for a moment. "Fine. I promise."

A beat and then —

"How do you look underneath your mask?"

Loud, boisterous laughter follows his question. The ninken are busy rolling on the floor, trying to breathe. Well, all of them sans Urushi. He just smirks and lifts one of his paws as though Sasuke has done something worthy of praise.

"Alright, let me rephrase that." Kakashi throws his own dogs a dirty look before he focuses on him once more. "Anything but what's underneath the underneath..." here, Sasuke narrows his eyes in confusion. "....Village secrets, the Icha Icha book series — I will get you those when you are older, _AND_ the springtime of youth...is fair game."

More confusion.

_This man makes no sense, no sense at all._

"Springtime of...youth?"

Guruko covers his eyes with his paws and groans. He and the rest look sick.

Kakashi doesn't look much better, either.

"Trust me brat, you don't wanna know." Bisuke tells him from his place on the couch.

Weirdly enough, Sasuke believes him and pouts.

"Am I to blame for your lack of missions?" he asks, his question no longer directed at Akino, but at his guardian.

Kakashi's visible eyes softens.

"Maa, you aren't to blame for anything. Akino was right, earlier. ANBU can't take care of children while on active duty. I had to retire but, it was my choice. I accepted. No one can force me to do anything I don't want to do."

"Not even the Hokage?"

"No. Orders are meant to be questioned sometimes, you see Sasuke. If they go against your principles. Naturally, those principles change throughout the course of your life."

"Give me an example."

"I used to think the mission is more important than your teammates. The truth is quite another." he pauses. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum but those who abandon their comrades are even lower than scum."

* * *

"You have the following task to accomplish. Take a bell from me and you pass. Fail, and like I told you yesterday, you get to return to the Academy." he explains. "One word of advice? Come at me with the intent to kill."

Kakashi is no longer ANBU, but that doesn't mean he isn't duty-bound to Konoha. Sasuke knows he is being kept from serious combat situations for his sake. Teaching genin is the middle ground. He can't help but feel envious of the three children who just went into hiding.

Time spent on training one or two of them means less time spent on training him. The jonin had yet to offer, though.

And he had yet to ask.

"Something's wrong, Sasuke?" Bull glances his way.

Kakashi asked him to stay guard, just in case any of the graduates come close to hurting him by accident.

"Nothing's wrong."

Bull doesn't believe it because he gives him _the look._ The one that says: _name what or who upset you so, I can rip them or it, to shreds._ Sasuke doesn't give him his brother's name.

He hugs him instead and watches the bell test unfold, eager to see Kakashi fight.

Toy, he muses a few minutes later, suits the situation much better. _Are Academy graduates supposed to be this weak?_ Not only are they pitifully prepared, but they are also stupid.

The loud, cocky one gets pushed around like a rag doll.

Sasuke cracks a smirk when Kakashi tosses Akio into the lake. He winces in sympathy when the blonde-haired girl, Takara, falls prey to an illusion and watches in awe how Daichi holds his own in a one-on-one fight only to grimace when the older boy gets hit full force by a water jutsu.

Suffice to say, he doubts either of them will be graduating.

"They don't get the point of this test." Bull explains tiredly, no silver of amusement present.

Sasuke huffs. "They are weak."

He is surprised when the dog disagrees with him.

"No. They are selfish and arrogant. Genin teams consist of _three_ people. Not two and most certainly not one. They are supposed to make up for each other's weak spots, help each other grow, look after one another. You can't do everything by yourself. Had they worked together, snatching a bell wouldn't have been impossible."

The young Uchiha is silent, reflecting quietly on what he just heard and witnessed. "He lied to them." he concludes.

Bull disagrees once more. "Kakashi's words left room for interpretation. He didn't tell them 'Each one of you must take one bell.' What he said was something along the lines of 'Take a bell from me, and you pass.' See the difference?"

Sasuke's respect for the man in charge of him grows by the day. He nods. "Hai. I see it now." he frowns after the jonin gives them a second chance, to no avail whatsoever. "But they still don't."

Two of the children eat without feeding the third. Bull sighs and presses himself against his side. "Unfortunately."

Kakashi emerges soon afterwards, clearly disappointed and though he is harsh when he scolds them, the dark-haired boy can't help but agree with him.

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum but those who abandon their comrades are even lower than scum."

_These words again._

Sasuke never forgets them. Half because Kakashi doesn't let him, and half because he comes to realize there is more to being a family than just _blood_.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Neji

_"My becoming was not gentle. So, why should I be?"_

* * *

"Begin."

Neji watched his cousins circle each other once Hiashi had signaled the beginning of their spar. He had nothing to learn from Hanabi or Hinata — the older clan members were far more worthy of his attention, however...

Uchiha Itachi's gruesome betrayal had changed the way he saw the latter. The former ANBU agent hadn't just traumatized his younger brother. He had harmed his once shy and fragile cousin, too.

Neji could only spot traces of the meek heiress whenever he looked at her now.

Hinata no longer held back during spars, for starters. Not even when the opponent happened to be her little sister. There was a sharpness to her gaze and deadly precision coating the movements of her fingertips which positively eluded him.

To think a single night had managed to transform her into...

_Something resembling a proper shinobi._

There was no doubt about it, though. Hinata only survived because Uchiha Itachi had chosen to spare her. What was one girl compared to a whole clan of experienced shinobi?

Neji clenched a fist. He couldn't decide which family was worse - The Uchiha or the Hyuga.

Even as he thought it, the young boy knew the answer. He'd pick death over a lifetime of slavery. The Uchiha had gone down quickly and relatively painlessly. The Hyuga, the ones like him, were imprisoned...and tortured whenever the Main Branch desired it so.

His tou-sama had been nothing but a pawn, a sacrificial lamb. Fate had decided which brother would bathe in glory and honors...and which brother would be murdered in order to satisfy The Hidden Cloud's ego.

Hyuga Hizashi had the misfortune of coming out second from his mother's womb.

And that made all the difference.

Neji's eyes narrowed as Hinata reached out to help Hanabi. She pulled her up...and showed her the respect he wished his uncle would have shown his tou-san.

The older girl looked up then, meeting his eyes; a glimpse of the old Hinata shone through, as though she never left in the first place.

It was a glimpse he didn't know what to do with.

Hope.

She sought out his approval.

Neji averted his gaze and left the dojo. He had come to watch instead of training and improving himself. That should be enough for someone he couldn't stand.

To be fair, he couldn't stand anyone; especially not his annoying classmates. He was surrounded by brats. Few were strong and even fewer were bright enough to back up their strength. The Ninja Academy was a welcomed escape, a sanctuary of sorts— his thoughts didn't have any power over him during that time.

There was chatter all around him, laughter. Everyone talked, effectively drowning out the voices in his head.

So, Neji supposed, his classmates weren't completely useless.

...

 _I stand corrected._ The young Hyuga thought, his left eyebrow twitching at the sight of Rock Lee.

"My eternal rival! I challenge you to do one hundred push-ups. If I lose, I shall do two hundred more as punishment."

The boy was an eyesore. Worse still, he kept pestering him.

He pushed past Lee.

"The day has just begun. You should save your energy for today's lessons." he retorted coldly.

In the past, Neji had tried explaining that no, he didn't need a rival. Truth be told, the idea of having an equal, someone who'd push him to his limits, help him grow was... _tempting._ He was certain that 'someone' had yet to be born, however. Or, he was simply out of reach. It hadn't occurred to Neji that 'someone', would turn out to be a refugee.

And a girl.

Tenten was just another orphan in a sea of nameless orphans. More than that, she hardly knew the language she was supposed to study in. There was nothing special about her. No kekkei genkai, no fearsome last name, no anything to spark his interest.

She did that all by herself.

That's what struck Neji the most. He didn't understand. It was beyond his comprehension. An outsider fascinated him more than his own people had ever done.

Tenten didn't spend her time fawning over him, for starters. Actually, she acted as though he didn't even exist. They had loneliness in common. His had been self-inflicted, a choice. Hers...

He couldn't tell.

She didn't go out of her way to interact with others...not that they had welcomed her with open arms, anyhow. One of the boys had been foolish in particular, foolish enough to pick on her. At once, four kunai were fired, all of them hitting their respective target. The idiot didn't have a single scratch on him, but he got stuck to a tree nonetheless.

Nobody wielded weapons better than Tenten, he had concluded upon witnessing the incident. Unknowingly to Neji at that time, such thought would be visiting him again and again over the years, its truthiness never wavering. It wasn't just the kunai that she handled with ease and grace. He could count at least five more weapons she was taken with. For a ten-year-old clanless girl, that was...impressive.

Neji wanted _her_ as his training partner.

One Friday afternoon, after Academy classes were over, the young Hyuga decided to bring up the subject. When she wasn't improving her ninja abilities, Tenten could be found inside Konoha's library, with her nose buried in language books.

Or at least that's how he imagined her.

She proved him right when he walked in and spotted her on the floor. Neji saw the book falling before she did and reacted accordingly, rushing in and pushing her out of the way. Having your head hit was dangerous, especially by heavy objects moving at a high speed.

Wide brown eyes greeted him.

Tenten glanced near them, at the fallen book, then back at him, gaze switching back and forth a couple of times. Upon realizing that physical contact was no longer necessary, he released her and rose, extending a hand.

She grasped it, accepting the help and stood on her feet once more.

"Thanks...Neji, right?" she broke the silence.

"Hn." he voiced his approval. "Be more careful next time."

The reprimand didn't sit right with Tenten. She made sure he knew it, too. Whatever she ended up mumbling in her native tongue, Neji didn't know, but things weren't going as he hoped they would.

His jaw clenched at the sight of her walking away from him.

"Wait."

Tenten stopped, but didn't turn around to face him.

"I want us to train together."

Silence followed his statement, silence during which Neji wondered whether she understood what he was asking. Maybe if he picked up one of the books and searched how to say it in her native tongue...

"What do I get?"

The question gave him pause. _And maybe,_ she wasn't as smart as he had thought her to be. Neji answered her question with another question.

"Isn't it obvious?"

This time, Tenten laughed and shifted, so they'd make eye-contact.

"Nice try. I saw you fight. I'm no one's punching stone."

A smirk tugged his lips upwards.

"It's punching bag, not stone." he corrected her.

The girl's cheeks colored slightly. Whether from anger or shame, Neji wasn't sure. A little bit of both, perhaps?

"Whatever." she brushed him off.

He inched closer, unwilling to take 'no' for an answer.

"You don't have to be my punching bag if you keep your distance."

The Hyuga watched her closely. He could almost see the wheels in Tenten's head spinning.

_She isn't stupid, after all._

"No taijutsu?" a pause. She put her hands on her hips. "Alright, what's the match?"

_Far from it._

Neji smirked once more.

"It's catch, Tenten."

While her skepticism was worthy of praise, there was no hidden motive to his actions. He could see how that might seem confusing to her, though. The girl stared at him, long and hard. It was as though the emotionless Hyuga eyes did nothing to faze her.

"I agree with one condition." She said at last.

His eyes narrowed, intrigued.

"And that is?"

Tenten grinned, delivering her demand with fiery determination.

"Be my language teacher."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My next update will be longer, I promise. I hope you guys liked seeing Neji's perspective and a glimpse into Tenten's backstory, the one I have in mind for her, at least.


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